RHYL has been ranked bottom in a list of Britain’s 20 best and worst seaside towns.
The Telegraph gives the seaside town a score of just five out of 100 in its seaside gentrification index.
The scathing analysis sees the destination summed up as “Blackpool after a neutron bomb”. The publication goes on to add Rhyl has "No past, no arts or entertainment, no fun."
The publication said of the town: "The resorts of North Wales in general reflect massive social changes in the wider region. Until the 1970s, the more than five million people who lived in Lancashire (the most populous county outside London at the time) saw the long strip of sandy coast as an accessible and affordable alternative to boisterous Blackpool.
"And then the package holiday arrived: Majorca and Corfu stole the working classes, Marbella and Tenerife the aspiring middles. Rhyl quickly found itself adrift.
"North Wales’ oldest pier was demolished in 1973, the domed Pavilion theatre was azed the following year. Efforts to make Rhyl a desirable destination – the Sun Centre in 1980, White Rose Shopping Centre in 1984, a museum and library complex in 1986 – have failed. The Ocean Beach funfair closed in 2007. A Sky Tower ride was decommissioned. There were plans to make it a light show; it’s now a pay-and-display car park.
"No past, no arts or entertainment, no fun: gentrification is not suited to all seaside towns but Rhyl – once unfortunately dubbed the 'Costa del Dole' and, on one occasion, 'Blackpool after a neutron bomb' – is how not to do things."
In pole position was St Ives in Cornwall’s with a rating of 98/100.
Of its seaside gentrification index, The Telegraph said: "Of course, this list isn’t conclusive or even a top 20. Instead, we chose a score of classic resorts and studied how they have adapted – or not – over the past three decades, looking at factors such as housing and high streets, renovations and conservation, as well as the cultural clout that so often accompanies gentrification.
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"Whether you’re after cockles or craft beer from your seaside break – well, we’ll leave that for you to decide."
Britain’s 20 best and worst seaside towns, according to the Telegraph.
20. Rhyl 5/100
19. South Shields 11/100
18. Weston-super-Mare 18/100
17. Blackpool 22/100
16. Morecambe 24/100
15. Cleethorpes 27/100
14. Southport 28/100
13. Torquay 33/100
12. Southend-on-Sea 36/100
11. Scarborough 39/100
10. Worthing 47/100
9. Portstewart 53/100
8. Tenby 57/100
7. Margate 69/100
6. Brighton 76/100
5. North Berwick 80/100
4. Lyme Regis 85/100
3. Whitstable 87/100
2. Southwold 94/100
1. St Ives 98/100
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